Former Las Vegas Raiders head Antonio Pierce was able to survive Black Monday, which is usually the day coaches are fired following the end of the season. Unfortunately for Pierce, he was only given an extra day, as the Raiders fired him on Tuesday following a 4-13 season.
The season began pretty promisingly for the Raiders, who at one point were 2-2, but that was followed by an ugly 10-game losing streak that pretty much sealed his fate.
A statement released by the team, which now has had nine coaches since 2011 and four since 2020, thanked him for his efforts:
“We appreciate Antonio’s leadership, first as an interim head coach and this past season as the head coach. Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his Silver and Black roots run deep. We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organization.”
Pierce’s Tenure Came To A Screeching Halt
After finishing 5–4 as the team’s interim coach last season, including a surprising 3-1 in the last four games, which also included going 3-0 versus AFC West opponents, it looked like Pierce — who grew up a Raiders fan — had turned the culture around as he tapped in the gritty nature that used to be associated with the Silver and Black.
Pierce’s ascension to head coach was aided by star defender Maxx Crosby and then star wide receiver Davante Adams vouching heavily for the Super Bowl-winning linebacker as captain of the 2007 New York Giants. Now Crosby’s future in Vegas is unsure, and the team sent the disgruntled Adams to the New York Jets before the trade deadline. After going winless in the division for the first time since before NFL bust former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell and having its worst record since 2018, a fresh start seems to be in order in “Sin City.”
But, to Pierce’s credit, it’s nowhere all his fault. With the Raiders roster devoid of talent and with no quarterback in sight, he was doomed. Throw in an impatient owner who’s nothing like his legendary dad (Al Davis) and this is the result you get.
Jerod Mayo Out In Foxborough
The same thing happened to now former New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo, who also lasted just one season in Foxborough, Massachusetts, following a 4-13 season as well. Mayo was fired immediately following the team’s season-ending win over the nothing-to-play-for Buffalo Bills, who rested nearly their entire roster.
When Patriots owner Bob Kraft made the hire last year, many questioned it, even Kraft, who admitted on Monday that he was afraid of losing Mayo to another franchise during the hiring cycle. In many ways Kraft admitted he made a mistake in hiring Mayo telling reporters this.
”I felt guilty to put him in that position,” Kraft said.
Mayo’s quarterback situation wasn’t nearly as much a dearth as the Raiders’, as rookie and No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye showed a lot of promise. The former UNC Tar Heels star passed for nearly 2,300 yards, 15 touchdowns and ten interceptions despite having arguably the worst receiver room in the league. If we’re being honest, not much on the Patriots offense worries opponents, and in spite of that Maye performed well.
Jonathan Casillas Says Firing Coaches Midseason Is Problematic: How Do They Learn?
Firing a head coach after one season is not a tactic that all franchises believe in, but some do it. There are football minds who believe that the short hook for coaches these days is actually part of a broken system that hinders coaching development.
“But nowadays this is what I have a problem with,” said former NFL linebacker Jonathan Casillas on an appearance on The Shadow League Locker Room” podcast. “Rookies are going to make mistakes. How long do you allow that to happen is the question. You have to learn and how do you learn? Most of the time it’s by making mistakes.”
Casillas adds that Black head coaches aren’t allowed the proper learning curve.
“They’re not giving them enough time,” the former linebacker said. “(Organizations) are only usually giving them a year, year and a half. For me, how is that enough time for a guy who never did that before?”
‘We’re not giving rookie head coaches or GMs time to go through that process of making those mistakes. That’s the way you learn. There’s wins and lessons and you learn from your losses. They aren’t giving them time.”
What’s Next For Antonio Pierce and Jerod Mayo?
Bad seasons mean high draft picks, and the Raiders will pick sixth and the Patriots fourth. Both have plenty of cap space, with the Pats having the most in the league at nearly $127 million, the Raiders second with nearly $98 million.
It’s typical for Black coaches to get fired and then replaced by a Caucasian counterpart, and in both of these cases that’s highly plausible, as both teams have the necessary money and draft capital to upgrade their rosters.
Look for former Tennessee Titans and Patriots legend Mike Vrabel to answer the bell as New England’s new sideline stalker. As for the Raiders, they have announced that limited owner and seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady will be involved in the hiring process.
Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, the top name in the cycle, will be in heavy demand, but keep an eye on Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who’s being lauded for his work with rookie Jayden Daniels and is a good friend of the aforementioned Brady.
